Monday, July 4, 2011

Bihar Floods Worsen, Over 100 Villages inundated

Hundreds of thousands of people live in fear of Bihar, after heavy rains caused several rivers to swell and flood more than 100 villages, officials said Monday.

Muzaffarpur district breached embankment of river Bagmati, Kosi and Gandak while rising water in rivers is a major threat.

"Bagmati river breached dam near the village of Muzaffarpur Basghatta, creating panic as dozens of villages in the flood water into their homes," said the disaster management team.

All villages have been inundated with flood-prone areas of Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Purnia, Araria, Saharsa, Madhepura and Bagaha officials said.Reports now here said road communications were cut when the water flooded the roads in many rural areas in Katra block of Muzaffarpur.

In Sitamarhi district entered into floodwaters Border Security Force (BSF) camp Sonbarsa security agents and forced to move to a safer place.

Kos is a threat to the eastern riverbank, and the waters of the Gandak in Gopalganj district threatens newly Embankment, said disaster official in the department.

The water resources department official said the major rivers in these areas after heavy rains had swollen state of Nepal and catchment areas in recent days.According to the Commission, urban water, water levels of major rivers - Kosi, Mahananda, Gandak, Budhia Gandak, Bagmati and Kamla Balan - is growing and flowing over the danger mark at times.

After two consecutive years of drought, is the fear back to the Bihar floods are incessant rains and heavy discharge of water in Kosi river in Nepal.But the Bihar water resources development minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said all embankments were safe and there was no reason to panic. "The government is ready to meet any threat to the river has changed," he said.

Choudhary said the government has taken preparatory steps to protect the dykes, but conceded that many of the villages in flood-prone areas in the face of danger.

Reports suggest that the government has asked hundreds of people to move to safer places due to the rising waters of the Kosi. The national government has asked the district engineers and officials to keep 24-hour vigil.Choudhary said the eastern Kosi embankment, which has broken the 2008-floods in five districts of North Bihar, it was perfectly safe. "We take care of it. There is no reason to panic."

In 2008, over three million people homeless in Bihar as Kosi river changes violated the bank upstream in Nepal and changed course. It was said that the worst floods in 50 years in the state.